Post-Fire Flood Mitigation Projects on the The Navigators Property Near Completion

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- The City of Colorado Springs Public Works Department and Colorado non-profit, The Navigators, are working together to lessen debris flow from anticipated post-fire flooding in the Camp Creek channel. The Navigators is installing two debris flow nets in Queen’s Canyon above the Glen Eyrie Conference Center, as well as widening and hardening the existing Camp Creek channel running through its property to protect the Glen Eyrie Castle’s foundation and downstream Pleasant Valley neighborhood.

The City of Colorado Springs Public Works Department will maintain and clean the lower rack for a period of 10 years as it helps protect Garden of the Gods, Rockledge Ranch and will help keep debris out of the 31st street channel.

“We have an opportunity to not only protect the integrity of the Glen Eyrie Castle, and continue to ensure the safety of our guests, but we also have an opportunity to be a good neighbor to our surrounding community-- an opportunity we just couldn’t pass up,” said Derek Strickler, Director of Operations for The Navigators.

Immediately after the Waldo Canyon fire, a NRCS technical support team identified Camp Creek as the largest watershed to be impacted by the fire and recommended the construction of a debris catchment system at the end of the Glen Eyrie parking lot. The construction of the nets, as well as the channel widening, will cost approximately $1.5 million, scheduled to be complete by the end of April.

Funds for this work come from monies The Navigators has raised and Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) grants received from the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).

The Navigators retained Kane GeoTech out of California to evaluate and design the two debris nets. Both nets were fabricated by Geobrugg, a Swiss Company, and subsequently installed by Midwest Rockfall from Henderson, Colorado.